Villa del Balbianello · Lake Como
Step inside the villa on Lake Como's wooded point
Cardinal Durini's 1787 villa on the water, later home of the man who led Italy's first Everest climb.
From €39 per adult
Booked on the villa's own system, for one price you see before paying.
Guided rooms and gardens
Choose your fare, then your hour
Every fare includes the guided tour of the house, about 50 minutes in Italian or English, then the loggia, terraces and garden at your own pace. Groups are capped at 16 and the hours fill days ahead.
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AdultMost chosen
Adults aged 19 and over
- Guided tour of the villa's rooms, about 50 minutes, in Italian or English
- The garden, the terraces and the Loggia Durini at your own pace
- Your date and garden entry time, booked on the villa's official system
- No more than 16 people in each guided group
- Your e-ticket sent to you by email
€39per person
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Ages 6–18
Young visitors aged 6 to 18
- Guided tour of the villa's rooms, about 50 minutes, in Italian or English
- The garden, the terraces and the Loggia Durini at your own pace
- Your date and garden entry time, booked on the villa's official system
- Bring ID that shows the young visitor's age
- Children under 6 go free, added to your booking at no charge
€29per person
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Students 19–25
Students aged 19 to 25 with a valid student card
- Guided tour of the villa's rooms, about 50 minutes, in Italian or English
- The garden, the terraces and the Loggia Durini at your own pace
- Your date and garden entry time, booked on the villa's official system
- Carry your student card and photo ID on the day
- Without the card, the student fare is not honoured at the door
€29per person
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Family
Two adults and two or more of their children aged 6 to 18
- One fare for two adults and their children aged 6 to 18
- Two or more children are needed for the family fare
- The guided rooms, the loggia and the gardens, as on every ticket
- Tell us the children's number at checkout so the group is registered correctly
- Children under 6 go free, added to your booking at no charge
€99per family
Children, families and students
- Under 6? Free. Tell us their ages and we add them to your booking at no charge.
- The family fare is for two adults with two or more of their children aged 6 to 18.
- Students 19 to 25 bring a valid student card and photo ID on the day.
Each guided group is capped at 16, and the tour hours fill days ahead, even in late October.
What we look after
- Booked on the villa's own system
- Your date and entry time are reserved before we send the e-ticket.
- The figure you see is the figure you pay
- One total in your own currency, with nothing added at checkout.
- Refunded if the villa closes
- If the house shuts on your date, your money comes back in full.
- Answers from a person
- Ask about fares, the walk from Lenno or the boats before you travel.
Your visit, step by step
From the lakeshore to the loggia
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1
Arrive on the point
Walk out from Lenno, about 1 km and 25 minutes uphill, or step off a taxi boat at the villa's landing. Aim to reach the ticket office ten to fifteen minutes before your hour.
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2
Enter the garden at your hour
Your ticket is for a garden entry time. Staff validate it and give you your tour start, which can be up to an hour later, so the terraces come first.
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3
Go through the rooms with a guide
About 50 minutes, in Italian or English, with no more than 16 people: Monzino's furniture and tapestries, the library and music room, the maps, the expedition museum.
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4
Stay in the garden as long as you like
After the tour the loggia, the terraces and the umbrella-pruned holm oak are yours until closing. There is no café, so bring water in summer.
Reaching the point
On foot from Lenno, or across the water
There is no road to the door for a normal visit. Both ways in are part of the day; pick the one that suits your legs and your timing.
On foot
- About 1 km from Lenno, roughly 25 minutes, climbing most of the way on a partly gravel path.
- A longer trekking route over the promontory runs about 2.5 km, roughly 45 minutes, in proper walking shoes.
- Neither path suits pushchairs or visitors with reduced mobility.
By taxi boat
- Taxi boats leave from the Lido di Lenno and land you at the villa.
- They are paid separately, not run by the villa, and work by reservation only.
- We do not sell or arrange the boat; we can explain how it fits your entry time.
Coming from further away
- Bellagio and Varenna
- Public boats on the central lake link Varenna, Bellagio and Lenno. Walk out to the point from the Lenno landing.
- Como
- Follow the western shore north to Lenno by road or by boat. Traffic along the lake is heavy, so build in time.
- Milan
- Travel first to Como, then up the western shore to Lenno. Plan a later entry hour on a day trip.
- By car
- The nearest paid car park is the Parcheggio Mercato in Via Comoedia, Lenno. Spaces are scarce in season.
The house
A cardinal's retreat, an explorer's home
Franciscan friars had a convent on the Dosso di Lavedo from the thirteenth century, and the two towers you see from the water are what is left of their church. In 1785 Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini bought the point, and from 1787 he made it his summer villa, adding the arched loggia that looks out over the lake on both sides.
After the cardinal came patriots and gardeners. His nephew Luigi Porro Lambertenghi filled the house with friends of Italian independence; the writer Silvio Pellico tutored his sons until Austria arrested Pellico in 1820. Giuseppe Arconati Visconti improved the garden and the loggia, and in 1919 the American Butler Ames bought the villa and restored it.
In 1974 the point passed to Count Guido Monzino, who had led the first Italian expedition to climb Everest in 1973 and sledged to the North Pole in 1971. He filled the rooms with French furniture, tapestries, maps and the gear of his expeditions. When he died in 1988 he left the villa, most of the promontory and an endowment to FAI, which has cared for it ever since.
- 13th c.
The friars
A Franciscan convent stood on the point. Its church's two towers still rise beside the villa.
- 1787
Cardinal Durini
Bought the point in 1785 and turned it into his summer villa, adding the loggia open to the lake on both sides.
- 1820
Patriots and gardeners
Luigi Porro Lambertenghi hosted friends of Italian unity until Silvio Pellico's arrest; the Arconati Visconti family then improved the garden.
- 1974
Guido Monzino
The leader of Italy's first Everest climb filled the house with maps, books and expedition gear, and left it to FAI in 1988.
- 1787Cardinal Durini's summer villa
- 16People at most in each guided group
- 50 minInside the rooms with a guide
- 1973Monzino's Everest expedition
Statues on the landing stage, where taxi boats come in.
The wind rose set into the floor of the Loggia Durini.
The spiral staircase in Monzino's rooms.
Open days
When the house is open
Closed every Monday and Wednesday. Hours shorten from November, and the winter break begins after Epiphany.
| When | Hours | Tour entry |
|---|---|---|
| Until 31 October | 10:00–18:00 | Entry 11:15 to 15:15; last tour 16:00 |
| November | 10:00–17:00 | Entry 11:15 to 14:15; last tour 15:00 |
| December | 10:00–17:00, set days | Open 1, 4–6, 8, 11–13, 15, 18–20, 22, 26, 27, 29 |
| January 2027 | 10:00–17:00 | Open 2, 3, 5 and 6 January only |
| From 7 January | Closed for winter | 2027 dates not yet published |
Our booking calendar greys out every closed day for you. Open the visitor guide, chapter by chapter →
- Address
- Via Guido Monzino 1, Lenno, 22016 Tremezzina (CO), on the Dosso di Lavedo point on the western shore of Lake Como.
- Bags, pushchairs and dogs
- Pushchairs, prams and bulky backpacks cannot go inside; staff show you where to leave them. There is no luggage store. Dogs on a lead are welcome in the garden only.
- Accessibility
- Partly accessible. The house spreads over six levels and the lift reaches three of them; the Loggia Durini is up a flight of stairs. Benches and folding seats are available.
Before you book
Questions we are asked most
What does the Villa del Balbianello ticket include?
A guided tour of the villa's rooms of about 50 minutes, in Italian or English, then the garden, the terraces and the Loggia Durini at your own pace. All four of our fares include the guided interior tour.
Can I buy a ticket at the villa on the day?
No. Tickets are sold online only and every visit must be booked ahead for a date and entry time. Turn up without one and you will not be let in.
How far ahead should I book?
As early as your plans allow. Each guided group is capped at 16, and the tour times fill days ahead, even in late October. Weekends and the late-morning hours go first.
What does the time on my ticket mean?
It is the time you enter the garden. At the ticket office you are given your tour start time, which can be up to 60 minutes later. Most people spend that hour on the terraces.
What are the entry times?
Garden entry for the guided tour is at 11:15, 12:15, 13:15, 14:15 and 15:15. From November to early January the last entry is 14:15.
Which days is the villa closed?
Every Monday and Wednesday. In December it opens on set dates only, in January 2027 on the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th, and then it closes until the 2027 season, whose dates are not yet published.
Is the tour in English?
Tours run in Italian or English. The ticket office assigns your group when you arrive, so mention that you would like the English tour.
Do children need a ticket?
Children under 6 go free, and we add them to your booking at no charge. Ages 6 to 18 have their own fare, and two adults with two or more children aged 6 to 18 can take the family fare.
Who can use the student fare?
Students aged 19 to 25 with a valid student card. Carry the card and photo ID on the day; without them the student fare is not honoured.
How do I get from Lenno to the villa?
Walk about 1 km from Lenno, roughly 25 minutes uphill on a partly gravel path, or take a taxi boat from the Lido di Lenno. The boat is a separate paid service that you book with the boat operators.
Do you sell the taxi boat?
No. We book the villa ticket only. Taxi boats from the Lido di Lenno are run independently, by reservation; we are happy to explain how the landing works so you can plan around your entry time.
Can I bring a pushchair or a large backpack?
Not inside. Pushchairs, prams and bulky backpacks stay outside, where staff show you, and there is no luggage store. Baby carriers can be borrowed free of charge.
Can I bring my dog?
Dogs on a lead are welcome in the garden. Inside the villa only guide and assistance dogs are allowed.
Is Villa del Balbianello accessible?
Partly. The villa spreads over six levels and the lift serves three; the Loggia Durini is reached by stairs, and the walk in from Lenno is steep. Write to us before booking and we will talk you through it.
Was Star Wars filmed at Villa del Balbianello?
Yes. Scenes for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) were filmed here, as were scenes for Casino Royale (2006) and A Month by the Lake (1995).
What if I arrive late?
Entry is only on the date and at the time booked, and a late arrival may lose the tour. Leave the 25-minute walk plenty of margin. Arrive more than 30 minutes early and you will be asked to wait.
Can I change my date after booking?
No. The villa does not move tickets to another date or time, and tickets are not refundable, so check your plans before you book. If the villa itself closes on your date, we refund you in full.
Is there a café at the villa?
No. The bookshop sells water, soft drinks and small snacks. Eat in Lenno before you walk up, or bring water.
Why does the tour start after my entry time?
Tours leave in groups of up to 16 at intervals, and the ticket office slots you into the next group with space. The wait is never more than 60 minutes, and the terraces are the place to spend it.
How long does the whole visit take?
Allow about two and a half hours on the point: up to an hour between your entry time and the tour, about 50 minutes inside, and time in the garden afterwards. Add the walk from Lenno each way.
Can I drive to the villa?
Not to the door for a normal visit. The nearest paid car park is the Parcheggio Mercato in Via Comoedia, Lenno, and the lakeside traffic is heavy, so allow extra time.
Sources: FAI: Villa del Balbianello, visit information (English) · FAI: Villa del Balbianello, history and collections (Italian) · FAI: ticketing terms and conditions · Villa del Balbianello (Wikipedia) · Guido Monzino (Wikipedia) · Navigazione Laghi: central-lake itinerary, Varenna, Bellagio and Lenno Last checked:
Longer reads
Guides for planning the day
- Villa del Balbianello guided tour tickets: how the visit works One timed ticket covers a guided tour of the villa’s rooms and an unhurried visit of the garden, terraces and loggia. 9 min read · Read →
- How to get to Villa del Balbianello Every route leads to Lenno; from there you walk up to the point or arrive by water. 9 min read · Read →
- Villa del Balbianello opening times, and when to go Open days, hours, tour slots and the closures that catch out lake itineraries, with the December 2026 and January 2027 dates in full. 9 min read · Read →
- The history of Villa del Balbianello From a 13th-century Franciscan convent to an explorer's house on Lake Como, and what of that story you see on the guided tour. 9 min read · Read →
- Villa del Balbianello on film: Star Wars, Casino Royale and more Three films were shot at the villa on its point at Lenno; here is what you can see on a visit, and the older story behind the house. 9 min read · Read →